With the global spread of COVID-19, businesses are facing bankruptcy at an unprecedented scale, resulting in job losses for millions. In this context, confidence in the durability of the global economy, and by extension the norms and institutions that support it, are being tested like never before. How businesses respond to the crisis—especially those firms who receive state support to continue operations—will shape public attitudes towards the private sector for years to come. In response to these circumstances, UNDP has designed a simple and accessible tool, the Human Rights Due Diligence and COVID-19: Rapid Self-Assessment for Business (C19 Rapid Self-Assessment), to help businesses consider and manage the human rights impacts of their operations. This non-exhaustive list of potential actions allows for rapid but continuous reflection on the human rights risks and impacts common to many industries. The C19 Rapid Self-Assessment is offered to companies as a partial but informative view of human rights actions in the specific context of COVID-19. The listed actions are based on relevant provisions of UN Human Rights Treaties, the ILO Fundamental Conventions, and the UNGPs. It is organized to present key actions or considerations along three stages of the COVID-19 crisis period: Prepare, Respond and Recover. The C19 Rapid-Self Assessment is also inspired and guided by the global UNDP COVID-19 Integrated Response Offer. The tool has been developed within the framework of the Business and Human Rights in Asia (B+HR Asia) programme as a joint product of the Enabling Sustainable Economic Growth through the Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework project funded by the European Union and the Promoting Responsible Business Practices through Regional Partnerships project funded by the Government of Sweden.   , full_html, This tool is designed to help businesses consider and manage the human rights impacts of their operations in the specific context of COVID-19. It presents key actions or considerations along three stages of the COVID-19 crisis period: Prepare, Respond and Recover.

The "Rights" Side of Life (RSL), is a Human Rights Survey to understand attitudes, awareness and perceptions of the public on a range of human rights issues in the Maldives. This is the third "Rights" Side of Life Survey -  a continuation of the two previous surveys conducted by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This latest survey was also conducted in collaboration with the Family Protection Authority and entails a strong focus on examining the knowledge, perception and prevalence of domestic violence in the Maldives, in addition to the attitudes and awareness of the general public on a range of human rights issues. The study collected data on these areas to understand the current situation in the country and provides insights on the extent of the additional work required to address any shortcomings. The information helps prioritize future directions for human rights promotion, prevention of domestic violence and assists in identifying areas for more research in the Maldives.   , full_html

This UNDP publication recommends actions for policymakers to enhance the benefits and reduce the costs of human mobility to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.The 2009 Human Development Report Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development, made the case that human mobility not only contributes to improving the lives of migrants and their families, but is a driver of development in countries of origin and destination. It also proposed a package of reforms to enhance the development gains of human mobility. Human Mobility, Shared Opportunities: A Review of the 2009 Human Development Report and the Way Ahead looks at new patterns of human mobility, reviews progress made on recommendations in the previous report, analyses emerging challenges and sets out next steps. A decade later, amidst record-breaking forced displacement, rising global inequality, the threat of climate change and the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, the report finds that the reforms advanced by UNDP are as relevant as ever. Making migration work for sustainable development requires us to expand legal pathways, guarantee migrants’ rights and access to services, reduce transaction costs, foster integration and social cohesion, and mobilize diasporas, among others. Increased policy coherence and cooperation, in the context of the two Global Compacts – on Refugees and for Migration – and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are key to realize the potential development gains of human mobility. , full_html

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency — but it is far more. It is an economic crisis.  A social crisis.  And a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.” – Secretary General, António Guterres To help countries tackle the devastating social and economic dimensions of the pandemic, with a focus on at-risk groups, the UN issued the UN framework for the immediate socio- economic response to COVID-19 (SERF) in April 2020. The SERF sets out the strategy and blueprint for the UN’s urgent socio-economic response to countries and societies in the face of COVID-19. Organized by the five streams of work that constitute the SERF (Health First; Protecting People; Economic Response and Recovery; Macroeconomic Response and Multilateral Collaboration; and Social Cohesion and Community Resilience), this checklist provides a list of potential actions, tools, and resources to ensure a human rights-based approach to socio-economic country responses to COVID-19.  This checklist was developed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Development Cooperation Office (UN DCO) as the secretariat for the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).        , full_html, This checklist provides a list of potential actions, tools, and resources to ensure a human rights-based approach to socio-economic country responses to COVID-19.

The scale of ambition called for in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires urgent additional actions - not only mobilizing a diverse range of public and private resources but also a stronger focus on the quality of cooperation and partnerships. UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021 also recognizes an increasingly interconnected world that requires managing the interdependence of policy choices relating to development cooperation allocation and use of financing instruments and partnership modalities. It underscores the importance of better collaboration across public, private, international and national sectors to deliver impact at scale and utilize limited resources efficiently. In light of this, the internationally-agreed principles of effective development cooperation are guiding the efforts to advance effectiveness of development efforts by all partners focusing on country ownership and results, as well as inclusive partnerships, transparency and mutual accountability to the achievement of long-lasting development results. The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (the Global Partnership) is the primary multi-stakeholder vehicle for driving development effectiveness efforts. UNDP supports the Global Partnership together with OECD and draws on UN and UNDP's existing mandate to build, develop and strengthen national capacities for mobilizing and effective utilization of international development cooperation, financing, innovation and knowledge-sharing. UNDP's support to the Global Partnership is provided and managed through the Global Project on Managing Development Cooperation Effectively. In 2019, the Global Project contributed substantively to effectiveness results and Global Partnership's accomplishments. Some of the key results and achievements presented in 2019 report are: Launch of a flagship 2019 Progress Report "Making Development Cooperation More Effective" showcasing progress made towards implementation of the effectiveness principles and production of 86 Monitoring Profiles; Launch of the Compendium of Good Practices outlining common effectiveness challenges and proposed solutions based on practical experience in ensuring effective management of all development resources; Launch of the Kampala Principles on Effective Private Sector Engagement in Development Cooperation,  which provide guidance on the effective use of international public resources in multi-stakeholder partnerships with the private sector; Launch of Global Partnership's Knowledge Sharing Platform to promote vibrant and dynamic knowledge-sharing on best practices for increasing the effectiveness of development cooperation; Holding of the Senior-Level Meeting which highlighted the importance and contribution of effectiveness by showcasing tools – from and for the country level – for making development cooperation more effective. , full_html, This report presents key results and achievements in 2019 of UNDP's support to the Global Partnership, provided and managed through the Global Project on Managing Development Cooperation Effectively.

The COVID-19 pandemic and states' responses to it are having an unprecedented effect on the functioning of justice systems globally. Courts are closing, reducing, or adjusting their operations, which can negatively impact the provision of timely and fair hearings, contribute to increased case backlogs, and lead to increased length of judicial and administrative proceedings. Certain groups, including women and children at risk of violence, undocumented migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, and those in migrant detention centres are acutely affected by these changes. Reduced court operations may also result in the prolonged detention of pretrial detainees or of prisoners eligible for early release. Without functioning judicial oversight, persons detained while emergency measures are in place to contain the virus may not be brought before a judge in a timely manner. As states enact emergency regulations to counter the spread of COVID-19, judicial oversight of the implementation of emergency measures is critical to avoid the excessive use of emergency powers. The socio-economic impact of the crisis will also have significant justice-related implications as inequalities are exacerbated. Specific efforts will be required to improve access to legal services and legal information to empower people and communities to resolve their disputes, seek redress for rights violations, or counter discrimination on a range of issues including housing, employment, legal/residency status, access to health benefits or other social protection mechanisms. This publication highlights some considerations and strategic entry points for practitioners in ensuring access to justice for all in the context of COVID-19. It emphasizes the importance of upholding the rule of law, protecting and respecting international human rights standards and basic principles of legality, including the rights to equality before the courts and to a fair trial, as part of preparation, response, and recovery efforts on COVID-19. , full_html, This publication highlights some considerations and strategic entry points for practitioners in ensuring access to justice for all in the context of COVID-19.